I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to externally mounted rear view mirrors, commonly called side view mirrors, for vehicles, such as tractor-trailer combinations. In particular, the invention relates to a device automatically connected upon connection of the tractor and trailer and operates to automatically control the position of movably mounted mirrors in response to the angular relationship between the tractor and the trailer being towed by the tractor.
II. Description of the Prior Art
A problem associated with the maneuverability of articulated vehicles, such as tractor-trailer combinations is the difficulty in quickly and conveniently determining the location of the rear end of the trailer. This problem is particularly difficult when the trailer is long and when a right hand turn is being negotiated. This is because the mirrors must necessarily be adjusted for straight-ahead driving and therefore in a right-hand turning maneuver the right hand mirror will be directed against the side of the trailer and the left hand mirror will be directed outwardly away from the trailer.
Likewise, when a left hand turn is being negotiated, the left hand mirror is directed against the side of the trailer and the right hand mirror is directed outwardly away from the trailer. While this condition is not as critical as the right hand turn situation, it nevertheless is undesirable because it requires the driver of the tractor to turn around in his seat, or at least to swivel his head through a large angle which completely diverts his attention from events which are occurring at the front of the tractor, his head being turned to such a degree that these events may even be outside of his peripheral vision.
A solution to this problem is to make the mirrors move in response to the orientation of the trailer relative to the tractor such that the field of view through the mirrors will include the rear portion of the trailer when making turns.
Prior art devices have been directed to this problem, but have been of minor success because of their complexity and impracticability.
One problem that has not been satisfactorily solved is as follows. The most accurate response between movement of the trailer and the mirrors is obtained when means are provided on both the tractor and trailer and are connected together to thereby sense changes in the relative positions of the tractor and trailer. Heretofore such means have been very cumbersome and have required additional time and difficulty in making the necessary connections.